Planograph co



G. P. THOMAS.

PUNCHING MACHINERY.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.30. 191s.

Patented July 29, 1919.

3 SHEETS SHEET I- Tm: COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPII con WASHINGTON, D. c.

'- G. P. THOMAS.

PUNCHING MACHINERY. v APPLICATION FILED Aue.a0.19|s.

Patented J 1115 29, 1919.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

an I VI Q lH ///ZZA h E 3 i 3 Hil 4 IE 7- Q 5: 2 f

m I17 I m up 14 z i m WITNESSES THE COLUMBIA PLANDGRAPH co., WASHlNdTON, D. c.

e. P. THOMAS.

PUNCHING MACHINERY.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.30. ms.

. Patented J uly 29, 1919.

Y 3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

FIE-L5.

WITNESSES GEORGE P. THOMAS, OF GLENSHAW, PENNSYLVANIA.

PUNCHING MACHINERY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 29, 1919.

Application filed August 30, 1918. Serial No. 252,071.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE P. THOMAS, residing at Glenshaw, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, a citizen of the United States, have invented or discovered certain new and useful Improvements in Punching Machinery, of which improvements the following is a specification.

My invention relates to machinery v for punching rivet holes through structural blanks, and while unlimited to the punching of any particular blanks, it is illustrated herein in its adaptability to machinery for punching plates.

Punching machinery of the character contemplated herein includes a punch, a work-supporting table on which a blank rests while being fed through the punch, and a spacing table upon which the blank rests as it leaves the punch, and also upon which the longitudinal intervals of advance of the work are controlled.

To keep a blank in proper alinement as it is passed through the punch, there is mounted on the spacing table a spacing carriage adapted to be attached to the forward end of a blank and to run upon suitable tracks carried by the spacing table, and in a similar manner a tail carriage, attache to the rear end of a blank, runs upon the work-supporting table. Between these two I carriages the blank moves through the punch without lateral deviations from a straight line. However, to punch holes in the rear end of the blank it is necessary to release the tail carriage from the blank, with the result that the rear end of the blank may .move laterally and cause the holes to be punched in wrong positions.

The object of my invention is to provide punching machinery of the character already explained with' means for preventing lateral displacement of a blank after the tail carriage has been released from the blanks. A further object is to provide an improved tail carriage.

In the accompanying sheets of drawings, which form part of my specification, I have illustrated the preferred embodiment of my invention. Figure 1 is a plan view of the punching machinery; Fig. 2 a side view thereof; Fig. 3 a sectional view to enlarged scale taken on the line IIIIII, Fig. 1; Fig. 1 a sectional view taken on the line IV-IV,

.ing

Fig. 3; Fig. 5 a plan view of thetail carr age; Fi 6 a sectional view taken on the line VI I, Fig. 5; and Fig. 7 a sectional view taken on the line VIIVII, Fig. 6.

In the punching machinery which I provide the punch may be of any desired type. As diagrammatically represented in Fig. 2, it comprises a frame 1 provided with an anv11 2, and with a reciprocating head 3, to which there are respectively attached usually a plurality of dies 4 and punches 5. The spacing table shown at the right hand side of the punch 1 may consist of a plurality of supports 6 on which there are mounted a pair of I-beams 7 which form tracks for the spacing carriage, and which also form supports for transversely extendshafts 8 provided with rotatably mounted work-supporting rolls 9. Any suitable form of spacing carriage 10 may be mounted upon the spacing table, such for example as the type of carriage shown in my Letters Patent N 0. 835,123, the carriage being provided with a suitable clamp 11 for engaging the forward end of a plate or other structural blank 12.

The work-supporting table at the left side of the punch 1 may be constructed the same as the spacing table just explained, the work-supporting table consisting of a plurality of supports 13, I-beams 14, shafts 15 and. work supporting rolls 16. As far as some features of my invention are concerned, any desired form of tail carriage may be provided for engaging the rear end of the blank 12 to hold it in alinement as it passes through the punch. However, I preferably provide a tail carriage of the character shown particularly in Figs. 5, 6

.and 7.

The carriage shown in these figures comprises a base 17 adapted to slide longitudinally upon, and to be readily removed vertically from a guide rail in the form of an I-beam 18 carried upon the work supporting table between the I-beams 14. Pivoted on a horizontal axis to the rear end of the base 17 there is a forwardly projecting arm 19, the vertical movement of which may be limited by an adjustable stop consisting of a nut 20 having screw -thread engagement with a bolt 21 pivoted at its lower end to the base 17. As seen in Fig. 6, the bolt 21 projects through the arm 19 and the nut 20 engages such boltat its outer end so that the arm cannot be raised higher'than' the lower face of the nut. At the forward end of the arm 19 a clamping member is provided to cooperate with the base 17 to engage the blank. This clamping member preferably comprises a horizontally disposed shaft 22, rotatablymounted inthe outer end of the arm 19, and provided at its outer ends with a pair of eccentric cylindrical extensions'23, on each of which extensions there is mounted a roller 24, the periphery of which rollers may be knurled or otherwise roughened. To oneof the projections 23 thereis keyed an upwardly extending arm 25, which, when thetail carriage engages 'a blank, lies in a forwardly inclined position, as indicated in the drawing. The arm-25 may be, moved rearwardly by hand to 1 release a blank, but forthis purpose-there is preferably provided adjacent to thegpunch 1 a finger 26 adapted to engage the arm- 25 as the blank is advanced through the punch. a. u

The tail carriage which I have just described is simple in construction and light in weight, and may readily be removed from the guide-rail 18 after such carriage'has been detachedlfrom the blank. Thus, when the punching ofone blank is nearing completion, another blank-may be laid upon the work-supporting table, and a second tail carriage be attached to it so that there need be'no loss of'time in the punching operations by reason of the attachment of a tail carriage to the successive blanks.

" Forcentering a plate =12 or other blank upon the work-supporting table, such table may beprovided with suitable blank-centering means. As specifically shown herein,'the table may be provided with oppositely disposed centering clamps slidably mounted upon arms 36 projecting laterally from the I-beams 14, such clamps having screw thread engagement with a rotatably mounted-shaft 37 oppositely threaded at itsen'ds and having a hand wheel'38 attachedto it. Two pairs of independently operable clamps spaced at a suitable interval are shown in Fig. 1. 'When'a plate'is placed on the'table the shafts 37 are independently rotated to cause the clamps to simultaneously move toward the center line of advance ofa blank, and the clamps, engaging the sides of the blank, bring the blank to proper punching position.

' As already explained the rear end of a blank, after the tail carriage has been rei leased from it, may move laterally with the result that the end holes will not be punched in their proper positions. To overcome this difiiculty means are provided to guide the rear end of the blank after the tail carriage has been released. Such means preferably comprise a supplementary tail guide arranged onthe spacing table side of the punch, and adapted to maintain the rear .comprises a guideway in the form of an angle 27 and a clamp 28, slidably mounted thereon and provided with a set screw 29.

"The guideway or angle 27 is preferably mounted for lateral adjustment upon a pair of arms 30 projecting from one side of one of the spacing table beams 7. The adjustable attacl'iment of the angle-27to the arms may be by means of bolts 31, which engage the horizontal-leg of the angle and also engage fingers 32 extending beneath the horizontal flanges ofthe arms 30. In the operation ofthe punching machinery, aplate or other-blank to be punched is laid upon the work table, and, when brought into proper punching alinement by means of the centering clamps 85, such clamps may be slightly loosened from the side of the blank and the blank pushed forwardly. in position to punch the end holes, the clamps guiding the blank to such position.- The blank may then be "attached to the spacing'carriage 10 and to the tail ca'rriage. I The spacing carriage 10 is then-advanced at-the required spacing intervals and the punch is intermittently reciprocated to effect the desired punching of the plate. Near the end of the punching operation the tail carriage is released from the blank 12, this being done by the arm 25 of the tail carriage striking the trip finger 26 adjacent tothepunch. Prior tothis disengagement of the tail carriage, a workman'attaches the clamp 28-29 to the side of theplate, andif necessary adjusts the guideway 27 laterallyso that it will-be mentary tail-guide holds therear end ofthe plateiniproper punching alinement until the I completion of the punching operation.

" According to the provisions of the patent statutes, I have described the principle and operation of my invention together with the punching machinery which I now consider to represent the best embodiment thereof. However, I desire tohave it understood that, within the scope of'the appended claims, my invention may be practised by other forms of construction than that particularly shown and described.

I claim as my invention:

1. The combination witha punch forperforating structural blanks, and spacing and work-supporting tables on opposite sides of said punch, of a spacing carriage on said spacing table adapted to engage the forward end-of a blank, a tail carriage on said worksupporting table adapted to engage the rear end of a blank, and a supplementary tail guide on the spacing table side of said punch, said guide comprising means for engaging a blank and for holding said blank in punching alinement after said tail carriage has been released from the blank.

2. The combination with a punch for 'per foratingstructural blanks, and spacin and work-supporting tables on opposite si es of said punch, of a spacing carriage on said spacing table adapted to engage the forward end of a blank, a tail carriage on said worksupporting table adapted to engage the rear end of a blank, and a supplementary tail guide comprising a guideway on the spacing .table side of said punch and a clamp slidably engaging said guideway and adapted to engage the rear end of a blank, said supplementary guide being adapted to hold a blank in punching alinement after said tail carriage has been released from the blank.

3. The combination with a punch for perforating structural blanks, and spacing and work-supporting tables on opposite sides of said punch, of a spacing carriage on said spacing table adapted to engage the forward end of a blank, a tail carriage on said worksupporting table adapted to engage the rear end of a blank, a laterally adjustable guideway borne by and extending parallel with said spacing table, and a clamp adapted to engage a blank and slidable upon said guideway.

4. The combination with a punch for perforating structural blanks, and spacing and work-supporting tables on opposite sides of said punch, of a spacing carriage on said spacing tab-1e adapted to engage the forward end of a blank, a tail carriage on said worksupporting table adapted to engage the rear end of a blank, means operative on the advance of the blank and carriages for releasing said tail carriage from the blank, and a supplementary tail guide on the spacing table side of the punch, said supplementary guide comprising means for engaging a blank and for holding it in punching alinement after said tail carriage has been released from the blank.

5. The combination with a punch for perforating structural blanks, and a work-supporting table adjacent to said punch, of a tail-carriage track parallel with said table, and a tail carriage comprising a base slidable upon and readily removable from said track, a forwardly projecting arm pivoted on a horizontal axis to the rear end of said base,

adjustable means for limiting the vertical movement of said arm, and a clamping member pivoted to the outer end of said arm and cooperating with said base to engage a blank.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

GEORGE P. THOMAS. Witnesses:

G. G. TRILL,

PAUL N. CRrroHLoW.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0. 

